Masquerade
by TheodoraM
Summary: Hermione spends the night of the Graduation Ball alone in the library, or, that's what she expected to. As she researches a potion, she finds herself in for more than a sleepless night of reading.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Come on Hermione, today's the Graduation Ball, you should come to have a little fun too! It's almost the last day at Hogwarts, after all! Plus, it's a masquerade ball! " Lavender whined, watching her colleague's frowning face.

"Lavender, I can't. Really. I must go look at a book in the library..." Hermione bit her lip, sorting through her scattered notes. "Where is it..? It was here somewhere…" she sighed.

"Hermione! How can you be so indifferent to a ball? And you can always go to the library, this is a special day!" Lavender cheered, choosing a violet colored floor length dress. "Does this make me look fat?" she questioned her friend.

"Mmmm. No." Hermione replied without looking up.

"Hermione, are you even listening?"

"Of course I am..No..this was supposed to be a counter clockwise stir and….seven clockwise…too much asphodel…"

"-mione! Hermione!" Lavender sat on her bed, gesturing wildly. "What are you working on that is so important and you can't pay attention to your friend?"

Hermione glanced at her. She seemed truly upset. They had a weird friendship, and she certainly didn't ever expect to find a friend in her. Saving her from Greyback formed a deeper connection between them. A connection that only two people that faced death together and survived had.

"I…I was trying to devise a potion that can cu-" she started to say, but then stopped abruptly. Everyone would laugh at her if they knew what she was up to. So instead she changed the subject. "You know, that dress fits you perfectly. Sorry I wasn't paying attention."

"I know, this happens a lot lately so I got used to it," Lavender smiled, "So, I got a suggestion. How about this. You are going to dress up nicely, and then, and only then you will be allowed to go study whatever you were searching for. Deal?"

Hermione considered this for a moment. "Dressing up nicely" in Lavender's language meant spending hours in front of the mirror until you found the "perfect dress" and even more hours spent on your make-up and hair. But if it meant that she was free for the rest of the night it was worth it.

"Fine. I accept your proposal." she mumbled

"Wonderful! Let's get ready!" her colleague pulled her arm and started toward the dresser. It was going to be a long day.

At approximately 8 o'clock, after 4 hours of torture, Hermione and Lavender were ready. Lavender was wearing a "Sleeping Beauty" outfit and Hermione was wearing a knee length black velvet gown, accompanied by car ears, a tail, and, of course, a mask.

"Honestly, Lavender, I feel almost...naked! How can I go at the library like this? What if someone sees me?" Hermione was mortified. She never wore a dress so revealing. The cleavage was a little large for her taste, and the fact that the dress was strapless made her collarbones stand out. Of course, Lavender insisted upon a pair of velvet gloves to give her a stylish look. Her hair was held in place by some clips and charms, and her tail motion was charmed to match her mood. The repeated swishing showed that Hermione wasn't too happy.

"Come on, Hermione, no one will see you, everyone is going to be at the party! At least have some fun alone," she wiggled her eyebrows at her, and Hermione shot her a cold glare. "Merlin, don't look at me like that, but let's be honest, even if someone sees you, they won't recognize you. The charm on your voice will take care of that.

"Oh for God's sake…" Hermione sighed. "Fine, let's go. I'll see you tonight, after the party."

Lavender huffed. Her colleague was adamant in her wish to go to the library, so why should she interfere with wishes? Maybe it's better to let her be.

"Okay, but if you change your mind, you know where the party is. Have fun! " She gave her friend a thumbs up and left toward the Great Hall.

Hermione waited a moment, and then decided to head faster for the library, so no one could delay her. Walking on these halls she realized how much she will miss Hogwarts and everything she grew up with. She was always fascinated by the portraits and their secrets. They seemed to know about everything that happened in this castle.

Reaching her destination she slowly pushed open the doors of the library and entered the great room, breathing in the smell of old pages and knowledge. This was the place where she felt like home.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'd like to thank my one and only reviewer for the support, and also to everyone that added this story to their favorite and followed it! Thank you so much for everything! Also, I'd like to thank Wikipedia for the information.**

**Enjoy my lovely readers!**

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**Chapter 2**

Walking briskly through the bookshelves until she reached the door to the Restricted Section, she felt overwhelmed with the fact that she was never going to return here as a student again, never going to stay up all night for finishing an essay or studying for the test she was going to have the next day.

Now she was an adult, shaped by all the things she saw in the war and by all the pain she felt. And the second time this night she regretted her childhood wish: wanting to grow up.

Sighing, she took a book from a taller shelf and skimmed through it. "The Dark Magic In Crystals" Her notes on the cure pointed this way. Adding a crushed crystal with the specific proprieties would enhance the efficiency of the potion. Would adding something full of dark magic to a healing potion be the solution?

To her, this seemed outrageous. The dark magic could turn the cure in a poison! But her Arithmantic equation offered a simple answer. An equal amount of positive energy added to the negative one should cancel it. 0 was the answer. Nothing. It was basically a potion that was supposed to do nothing to you. Theoretically it will be like swallowing water. But not even water. Water nourishes your body.

"Bloody confusing…" she muttered, turning a page.

So far, the book didn't give her the information she needed, so she put it back on the shelf and continued her search.

'Crystals….crystals….Where are you?'

Suddenly, the shiny black cover of a book caught her attention. That was unexpected. Usually, in this part of the library she found only old, worn out books. She reached her hand to touch it, and she instantly felt the swirling energy that it emitted.

_**'Crystals: Evil or Good?'**_

Hermione furrowed her brow. The title itself was suggesting a modern approach to the subject. Maybe this was what she was looking for.

She gently took the book out and headed toward a nearby table. Skimming through the index she found a title that "Salt. The cure for everything." Calling forward everything she knew about salt she was surprised to see that she didn't have much information on this subject. Of course it was common knowledge that salt could cleanse crystals and eliminate the harmful energy found in some places, but other than that she didn't see any unusual purpose for the mineral.

Turning the pages until reaching the desired chapter she saw a multitude of colored pictures of different crystals, as if this was an encyclopedia for children, not a book full of dark arts. Sighing, she started reading, hoping that maybe she had a solution for her problem.

_"Salt was always as important in the wizarding culture as it was in the muggle one. It held an important place in rituals, sacrifices, offerings….It was said that God sent it as a blessing from the sky, among iron, fire and water…The Hebrew Bible has many references in it that point to salt…"_

Hermione was losing her patience. Of course it was fascinating that salt had many purposes, but that didn't help her. She needed an answer, and her notes said that she was supposed to find something containing Dark Magic… Pressing her hand to her eyes in pain and tiredness she tried to clear her mind, listening to the muffled music in the distance, and the constant knock that her magic tail made when it collided with the bench.

The headache was overwhelming, and the tremor of her hands already started. The Cruciatus after-effects still tortured her, the pain and fear driving her mad sometimes at night. That's why she chose to find a way to cure it. That's why she was sitting here alone, at night, when everyone was having fun in the Great Hall. She wanted to help people, but also herself.

Breathing deeply and trying to calm down she started to read again the index, when she realized that there could be a way she can find the cure…" _It was said that God sent it as a blessing from the sky, among iron, fire and water…"_

Iron, fire, water and salt.

Basically the base of a potion.

Iron cauldron. The fire under it. Water in it. Salt…

What should she do with the salt?

The excitement of her discovery was muting every sound around her, when suddenly…

"Miss Granger." A deep voice called right behind her.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'd like to thank everyone for the continued support! To my two reviewers _Sleepisfortheweak16_ and _angel897, and of course, everyone who added this story to their fav list and followed it _I love you guys!**

**Here is chapter 3, and I hope you will like it :))**

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**Chapter 3**

Hermione shrieked in terror, jumping in a combat position as soon as she could, given the fact that she wore a tight, velvet dress, which Lavender specifically told her not to ruin. Or at least, try not to.

Slowly turning to face her attacker, wand ready and mind already going through fighting techniques, her brain registered somewhere the fact that she heard a familiar voice. Hermione was always paranoid, never trusting what she heard, smelled, saw or heard. But then again, why did she try to prolong the inevitable moment when she needed to face whoever came here..? Her answer was simple: she was too bloody tired to even care about it.

"-ger! Miss Granger!"

Her reverie was broken by the same voice, now belonging to a person who was looking at her as though she has gone mad.

Returning her wand to its proper place she tried to calm her breathing, which, now that she had a clear mind to analyze her situation, she thought sounded like a fat hippogriff's trying to fly.

" I apologize, professor. I didn't realize I was not alone in here…" she said, awkwardly shifting her weight from one leg to another.

Snape raised a brow at the girl before him. He could see that she was changed, as was everyone that survived the war, of course, but she was different in a special way, her aura was….tampered with. Signs of the year that she spent on the run with those two idiots were showing everywhere: protruding bones, bags under her eyes, and a constant tiredness that seemed to accompany her everywhere she went.

He was surprised that McGonagall allowed her to continue her seventh year right after the war ended, and even offered her the Head Girl "job". Of course she deserved it, but perhaps it wasn't such a great idea to have so much work after a traumatic event in her life. And even in these circumstances she managed to get all O's in the NEWTS. She reminded him greatly of himself, when he was her age.

And what was she doing in the middle of the night here, in the library, when she and her friends were supposed to celebrate their Graduation? But then again, bloody Granger was always spending her time in the library, so why not tonight as well?

"No harm done, Miss Granger, but perhaps you should be more perceptive about your surroundings," he calmly replied to her while subtly trying to get a glance of the book she was reading. "May I inquire what are you doing here, when your…compatriots seem to enjoy themselves just fine at the Ball? Was the entertainment provided too bland for your taste that you decided to come here to find some…on your own?" he sneered at her.

Enjoying the blush that colored her face and the look of anger that crossed her eyes, he took his time schooling his features, trying not to sketch a smile at the nervous witch. She was so easy to fluster, it seemed.

"If you really must know, I was researching something." She replied hotly. How dare this man come here and make fun of her? If he even knew what she was planning… Maybe she could ask him for an advice, maybe he could help her…Hope flared in her chest. Professor Snape could help her! He was a brilliant Potion Master, and she also saved his life in the final battle, so he owned her a life debt…If she could ask him now..

It was almost like Snape read her mind.

"May I be of assistance, Miss Granger?" he asked her.

Hermione's eyes brightened immediately at his question, and she beckoned him to move closer. She started rambling about the book she was searching, what she found instead, and the potion that she hoped could cure the after-effects of the Cruciatus.

Snape was glancing over the shoulder at the passage she was tracing with her finger, while reading it to him.

_"This is absurd,"_ he thought. _"This mere girl wants to accomplish what many Masters couldn't? Impossible."_

"..at first I thought about dragon blood, but the potion might become volatile after we added it, so it is out of the question.." she continued speaking, not noticing his raising discomfort at the prospect of bursting her optimism bubble. He saw how happy she was when she found whatever she was searching for in this section of the library.

"Miss Granger," Snape started.

"..salt! I never thought of using salt! But how should we use it? I think that-"

"Miss Granger!"

Hermione stopped talking. Looking over her shoulder and into the dark eyes of her Potion Professor she instantly recognized the look in her eyes. Disappointment. Disbelief. He didn't believe she could do it, and most importantly, he wasn't going to help her. Maybe she should've kept her mouth shut for once in her life.

"Miss Granger, I understand your excitement, it is a very ambitious plan," He took a deep breath, trying to soften his stern voice."But-"

"You don't believe it's going to work." She finished the sentence for him.

"I am sorry, Miss Granger." He put a hand on her shoulder, trying to bring her the little comfort that hos words couldn't.

"Wh- Why don't you think it's going to work?" she whispered sadly, lowering her gaze from his, the tremor in her voice matching the one in her hands. Silently hoping that she won't have a fit right now, she tried to hide the tremble of her hands by grabbing the bench which she sat on.

Snape watched the girl in front of him with remorse, knowing that he couldn't do anything to console her. He knew how the thought of failure could kill dreams with the precision of a surgeon, and he knew the feeling of uselessness was inevitable in moments like this, but he couldn't do anything for the girl except giving her a straight answer. It was obvious that the girl tried to appear strong in front of him, withholding her tears and trembles for until she reached the intimacy of her room.

"Many Potion Masters tried to find the cure, Miss Granger, I included, but it was a useless try, and we all decided that there is no way we can find the solution. Only a miracle may help us."

Hermione nodded. She was expecting this. The "everyone tried, no one could get it right, there's no way" speech. So much for asking Professor Snape to help her. Closing the book and getting up, she let his hand fall off her shoulder, and with measured steps she put the book back in its place.

Snape watched her in silence. Did he make the right choice by telling her the truth? Yes. But then again, he was Severus Snape, bastard extraordinaire, and she was Hermione Granger, princess of Gryffindor. It was bound that he upset her.

Hermione took a calming breath and walked toward him.

"I am sorry for wasting your time, sir. It will never happen again." She said, pausing for a moment in front of him, glancing at her shoes.

"Miss Granger-"

Hermione raised her eyes to his and he stopped.

The girl smiled an empty smile.

"Good Night, sir." She whispered, and left him alone in the library.

Severus Snape watched her silently, and the image of her haunted eyes, false smile and the single, silver tear rolling on her cheek reminded him of the night he almost died. She tried to reassure him, with a smile on her face and sobbing, that he would live. And he did. She saved him.

For the first time in a long time he felt a strange nagging emotion in his gut.

Guilt.


End file.
